Finger ring holder



Nov. 18, 1952 L G, HUNTER 2,618,382

FINGER RING HOLDER Filed March 15, 1951 Patented Nov. 18,V 1952 FINGERRING HOLDER `Lyman G. Hunter, Indianapolis, Ind., assignor to Herff-Jones Company, a corporation of Indiana Application March 13, 1951,Serial No. 215,230

(Cl. 20G-76) 1 Claim.

e 1 This invention relates to a device for holding :linger ringsindividually. the device being capable of being made in a plurality ofholders in an extended length, or in a unitary form to hold a singlering by itself. The invention is herein described in the unitary formwherein the usual round button type of holder is employed to be mountedgenerally on a display board or case having a, Vplush or velvet surfacesurrounding the holder.

A. primary purpose of the present invention is to provide a frictiongripping means whereby the shank may be inserted down into a normallyclosed slot so that the side walls of the slot will yieldingly beseparated by the insertion of the ring shank therein, that is betweenthe walls of the slot, in 'such a manner, that the yielding grip will bemaintained over almost an indefinite period of time as opposed to Vtheyielding grip of fibrous materials such as cotton or wool whichhaslieretofore been employed.

There is also the problem involved of not only yieldingly holding thering by its shank, but doing so in a manner which will not scratch orabrade the material of the shank so that the ring may be removed fromthe holder and returned thereto innumerable times without any damage tothe ring being occasioned.

The structure embodying the invention provides a diametrical slot ofconsiderable width across a cylindrical section of a block, wherein acombination of flat and bowed springs are carried to be separate byresilient padding, the resilient padding being divided by a fold of anover-all covering material.

Many other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparentto those versed in the art in the following description of oneparticular form of the invention as illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing, in which Fig. 1 is a top plan View and partial section of astructure embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation of a spring unit;

Fig. 4 is a view in top plan of the spring unit; and

Fig. 5 is a View in end elevation of the spring unit.

A cylindrical length of any suitable material which is substantiallyrigid, such as wood is employed as the base block I0 of the over-al1combination. The block I0 is provided with a diametrical slot IIthereacross, being deiined by the side walls I2 and I3 and the floor I4.

As will be noted, Fig. 2, this -slot lII is open at the top side of theblock I0 but closed by a rather thin section I5 of the block across itsunderside, the floor I4 being the top side of this section I5.

For most sizes of ring shanks, and particularly where the block I0 is inthe cylindrical form as herein described, the transverse width of theslot II from wall I2 to wall I3 is substantially or approximately halfof the diameter of the block I0.

A spring unit or assembly generally designated by the numeral I6, asillustrated in Figs. 3-5 inclusive, is built up from a straight, flat,planar leaf spring II having an over-all length equal to the length ofeither side wall I2 or I3, and preferably slightly longer as indicatedin Fig. 1. The width of the spring member I'I is made tol be somewhatless than the height of the Walls I2 and I3 as indicated in Fig. 2.

On the back side of the straight leaf spring I1', there is mounted a bowspring I8, secured by its central portion to the central portion of theleaf spring I1, by any suitable means such as riveting or spot welding,herein shown as being welded. The extreme outer ends of the bow springI8 are curved reversely toward the ends of the leaf spring I'I, theover-all length of the bow spring I8 from end to end being slightly lessthan the over-all length of the leaf spring I'I.

One of these spring units I6 is placed against each of the walls I2 andI3 respectively to have the bow spring I8 adjacent the wall in eachinstance, and the fiat leaf spring I 'I removed therefrom so that theiiat springs I'I are in opposition one with the other. The transversedimensions of these units IB are such that normally the distance betweenthe leaf springs I1 is a major part of the distance between the twowalls I2 and I3.

Between these two leaf springs I1 in each instance, there is inserted aresilient packing I9 such as cotton, and this packing I9 is carriedupwardly and over the spring unit I6 in each instance to lap over on thetop face 20 of the block I0 on each side of the slot Il.

A retainer covering 2I preferably made out of a cloth fabric is foldeddiametrically to provide the fold 22 thereacross, and this fold 22 iscarried down centrally between the packing 20 to have the lower end ofthat fold 22 preferably glued to the oor I4 centrally between the leafsprings I'I. The covering 2I is carried over the packing I9 in oppositedirections of the fold 22 ends of the slot II so that externally, thecylindrical shape of the entire combination is maintained.

The cotton packing I9 is so selected in quantity that it will normallymaintain the fold 22 in closed condition as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2so that the fold has to be forcibly separated against not only theyielding resistance of the packing I9 initially, but also in turnagainst the yielding resistance of the spring units I6 spaced from thefold 22 by the packing I9. That is the packing I9 serves initially toyieldingly receive the shank of a ring within the fold 22 to have thatpacking conform itself to the general shape of the shank, and also totend to press within the shank as a means for releasably securing theshank within the fold. The packing I9 however is not sufficient toabsorb all of the side pressure required for entering the shank of thering within the fold 22, so that the cotton I9 in turn has to pushoutwardly on the two spring units I6 to tend to compress the bow springI8 against the side walls I2 and I3 of the slot II and also tending tobow the leaf spring I'I centrally or at its outer ends depending uponWhere the shank of the ring is positioned Within the fold 22. The atface of the leaf spring I'I presented toward the packing I9 serves toretain that packing I9 snugly against the fold 22 on the outer sidesthereof so as to maintain normal contact or closure of that fold whennot in use as having a ring shank carried therein. v

The material of the spring unit I5 is made of very light gauge metal soas to be quite resilient. Yet it has sucient elasticity so as to returnto its normal shape as best indicated in Fig. 4 where the padding I9 isreturned to close the fold 22 as indicated in Fig. 2, so that somepressure is required to insert the ring shank into that fold 22.

While I have herein shown and described my 4 invention in the oneparticular form, it is obvious that structural changes may be embodiedwithout departing from the spirit of the invention, and I therefore donot desire to be limited to that precise form beyond the limitationswhich may be imposed by the following claim.

I claim:

A finger ring holder having a slot thereacross defined by side walls; apair of spring units carried in said slot, each of said units comprisinga flat leaf spring having a length greater than the outside diameter ofsaid ring, and a bowed leaf spring secured by its central portion to acentral portion of said flat spring to have free ends turned from saidflat spring, said ends being spaced apart a distance approaching thelength of the flat spring, and said at springs being positioned oneadjacent the other with the bow springs thereof directed by said endstoward the walls dening said slot; and a resilient packing overlyingsaid holder and springs and extending coxnpressibly within said slotbetween said at springs, said packing entering between said a-t springsby a fold opening from the top side, the 'fold normally beingcompressibly closed elastically by said spring; whereby, upon a ringbeing forced into said fold, said packing will be forced into Contactside against side of said fold through the ring by said springs.

LYMAN G. HUNTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 142,575 Martin et al. Sept. 9,1873 426,309 Parker Apr. 22, 1890 1,193,128 Doll Aug. 1, 1916 1,877,551Bruce Sept.' 13, 1932 1,906,822 Shields May 2, 1933

